10. Best of Both Approach / Balanced representation (5 council members from districts/4 At large inclusive of the Mayor) Vs. current At Large system where all 9 Councilmen could come from the same household. Today, there is no city council member that resides in one south Naperville district.
9. Enhanced talent pool of candidates
8. Increased community participation
7. Lower election costs for candidate, voters and businesses
6. Current At Large make up does not adequately represent our population/demographics
5. Districts help facilitate the composition of the City Council to better reflect Naperville’s 50% female and 25% minority population as seen on District School Boards
4. National League of Cities shows that 56% of mid-sized cities like Naperville use districts. As city populations increase, the use of districts also increases up to 84%.
3. Majority of the largest cities in Illinois with similar population to Naperville have District / At Large hybrid models
2. Wheaton’s city government costs have go DOWN since implementing the District / At Large hybrid system per Jeanne Ives (R) who served on the Wheaton City Council, as commented at a Naperville Chamber of Commerce meeting. The reality is that District / At Large government has proven financially beneficial for other like-sized cities. This is also consistent with research by Welch & Bledsoe, Vogel and Frederickson & Johnson
1. 28,000 people voted to implement districts (2:1 ratio) two years ago. A “mulligan” is only needed by those who will lose power
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